


A Second Chance

by juhaal



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Acceptance, Alternate Universe, BAMF Lucifer, Consequences of free will, Controversial decisions, Despair, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Romance, F/M, Kind of between second season and third season, Lots os feels, Lucifer Feels, Timetravel-ish, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-02-27 15:39:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13251309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juhaal/pseuds/juhaal
Summary: Earth was destroyed. There was almost no human left: all dead by the crossfire of the war between Hell and Heaven. And Lucifer could only wish for a second chance of saving those that mattered most...What if he could?In which Lucifer goes to the past, before everything went downhill - before Azrael killed Chloe.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer is my new obsession (SOS!). I wanted to try this plot bunny, so let's see what happens. 
> 
> English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy it!

The destruction was complete.

All the buildings were falling apart, and some had already crashed. The streets were filled with burning cars, carbonized and rotten corpses – with hellhounds running all around, satisfying themselves with all the carnage and chaos. There were dark puddles of blood covering more land than it should, the heavy scent of iron never leaving the air. The atmosphere was aggressive to any living thing, besides those who had destroyed it, with ash falling from the sky coming from the nearest fires or even from other cities - the obliteration of normalcy everywhere.

Anyone could have thought this was hell. But, in truth, it was even scarier.

It was Earth.

At least what remained of it.

There were few still battling each other. Tired determined angels with wings drenched in blood, demons fighting gleefully with bloodthirst on their delusional eyes. Hellfire all around, making it impossible for the feeble attempts of humans to put it out at the beginning of the war. Still burning and consuming everything it touched.

There was almost no human left. All dead by the crossfire of the war between Hell and Heaven.

Still, he couldn’t feel anything - only _rage_.  

He stared at the one in front of him with contempt. _Father_ , he mentally sneered, hating that word with all his being.

“At last we meet.” Lucifer seethed, making himself taller than he already was, clothed with armor forged by hellfire and holding easily the Flaming Sword – ignited with the most beautiful light that only he could create, the _Light Bringer._ The white and marvelous wings, returned without his permission, poised to battle and were ready to be used to his full advantage. “I was wondering when dear old Dad would make his appearance: before or after the death of everything that he had created?” The sarcasm and the hate dripped from every word, and he looked to the figure ahead of him with the air of superiority he had gained after bringing hell upon Earth. He became the warrior everyone once feared. “Who could have thought that it would be after, hm?”

“Samael, what have you done?” The sadness within the grave voice only made Lucifer hate him more.

“Oh, I don’t know Dad, it seems like I destroyed your plaything. Humanity no more, paraphrasing the beautiful and powerful Scarlet Witch.” He snorted, laughing with his own joke and almost seeing the meme of Captain America catching the reference.

“I thought you loved humanity.” God said, looking at him with sad colorful eyes. His figure blurred with so many characteristics, only the wrinkles of old age were visible between flashes of definition.  

“I did. Once.”  Lucifer sobered, staring his father with dead brown eyes. Images of a stubborn blond woman and of a devious little child tried to reach his mind eye, but he didn’t let them. He shut himself with the walls that had permitted him to get this far, to force his father to come to Earth to _face_ him. The same walls that made him force his guilt and remorse to the deep depths of his soul, wielding the rage and the hate as a weapon to protect himself during the massacre he had created. “But you destroyed it for me too, didn’t you?” His eyes ignited, turning to red flames of hate. He bared his teeth, restraining himself so much that the tendons of his neck jumped from the effort. “Apparently, the Devil can’t be happy, right? First the great fall of all time and eternity on hell - which I pretty much decided wouldn’t happen. Then Amenadiel, Uriel, Mother, the Sinnerman for fuck’s sake-“ He cursed with frustration, balling his hands in fists, “and last you, sending Azrael with her newfound sword to do your bidding. Really, Dad? I thought you were _so much better_!” Lucifer shouted the last three words hoarsely, emanating a dangerous and frenzied aura.

“Calm down, Samael. I’m not here to fight you.” God put his hands in the air, offering his surrender.

“But I bloody am.” Lucifer snarled, taking slow and menacing steps.

“Listen, son, things got out of control. I admit it.” God started, staring Lucifer with regret. “My miracle didn’t work how I had expected, and your sister took upon herself the need to correct the situation.”

Lucifer exploded in a fit of ironic laugher, shining with mirth and pride even if he didn’t let himself think too much about it. “She had a name, asshole.” He sneered, “Chl-“ he choked, “ _She_ was a surprising little thing, wasn’t she?” He smirked, continuing his walk on his father’s direction, ignoring his attempt of saying her name. “And _ooh_ , I didn’t expect this of you, _Father!_ Azrael is not even here to defend herself, you should be ashamed.” He chastised.

“This hate is what started everything, Son.” God kept talking, trying to reach his favorite child inside that cloud of rage and sorrow he had buried himself. “I should have known better than let my children act by their misguided free will.” He looked around him, musing how far things have gone by one wrong decision. Lucifer scowled, not really making that affirmation worth of any comment. “If I knew that my attempt of making things right would only make it all worse…”

“Oh that is _rich_!” Lucifer smiled gleefully, reaching his limit, getting nearer and nearer at every step. “Dear old Dad, the omniscient one, couldn’t see the future like he made us all believe. Seriously. When things started to go south, did you ‘oopsied’ at least?” They were now only one step apart.

“Son, when things started to go wrong I couldn’t do anything about it anymore, only watch.” His blue eyes looked at Lucifer with sorrow and affection. There were _eons_ since he looked so close at his son in the face, like he was doing now. “There were a lot of variables I did not control, and I noticed it too late.”

“So let me get this straight, you control freak. Since you couldn’t manipulate her to control me, you got her killed with Azrael’s blade, right? Keeping up so far? And then you killed her spawn when you noticed that the little one was the only thing holding me whole. Really Dad, your machinations has gone just _too far_.” The coldness on Lucifer’s voice, the plain way he expressed the bare truth finally made God flinch, loosing his composure for a nanosecond. 

It was enough to make Lucifer alight in fire again.

“Sama-“

“Bye bye, father.”

And the Flaming Sword sliced through God’s heart without mercy. The humanoid form was enough to know where to hurt most.

“This… will not… bring her back…” God said between breaths, feeling his insides burning while smelling the scent of burned meat. Coughing blood, he stared at his son, reaching his face with a shaking old hand. He didn’t fear Lucifer even at those agonizing moments, he didn’t hate him or wished things to be different. But, at some point, he knew it was unavoidable.

“I wish it could.” Lucifer answered, sobered and suddenly tired, _very tired_ , taking his father hand and dropping it away from him. Looking at the ashy sky, sensing for the first time since the whole war started the destruction he rained upon Earth, he mumbled while the numbness instilled in him. “My only wish was to have another chance with them. To stop this madness, to stop you, before you killed them.”

God’s body dropped to the ground, dead weight.

Lucifer fell to his knees, more broken than the day he found Chl- her, dead, with Azrael holding the blade he thought he had dispensed to another dimension drenched with her blood.

He tuned out the noise, the screams of agony, the clash of blades. He tuned out the taste of blood on his tongue and the feel of his armor weighing him down.

He could be in peace at last. He punished all the wrong done to her.

It was over. It was finally over.

And then, in a blinding blast of light coming from the Flaming Sword still transfixed through his father’s body - it simply was not.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is: thank you! Thanks for evey kudo, every review, bookmark and subscription. You guys rock! <3 
> 
> I was really happy to see you guys excited with this plot bunny of mine. I hope you all like this chapter too. I'm planning on a slower pace for the development of the story (sort of), so bear with me (please). 
> 
> English is not my first language, so If you see something wrong feel free to warn me about it!

 

There were voices talking. He could hear them, but they seemed so far away that he couldn’t understand what they were saying. His head was throbbing so much. It hurt to move even a little bit, but he tried anyway. Unsuccessfully. He tried to open his eyes then, but it hurt too much to do it too. His eyelids weighted a ton.

“… and suddenly he just dropped, passed out on the middle of the crime scene. Seriously. Almost gave me a heart attack.” A female voice murmured, breathless, coming closer to him.  It seemed a familiar voice, but for a few moments he couldn’t pinpoint who it belonged to.

“I bet.” Another woman answered, “I can’t say I’m really surprised. Yesterday he drank all his stock at his penthouse. Normally it wouldn’t affect him, but who knows, there is always a first time to everything.” She snickered, “Such a wuss.” And the disdain was so clear that he could swear it seemed like Maze’s voice. 

But that was impossible.

Maze was dead too.

“… What happened?” The first woman asked, sounding worried.

His heart pounded mutinously. It was impossible, _just impossible_. They were _dead_.

_For years_.

“Oh, family drama.” He pushed himself to open his eyes, wincing and groaning with the pain that came with the struggle. “Look, he is waking up, finally.” He blinked slowly, trying to get used to the sudden clarity.

“Lucifer.” The first woman called soothingly, attracting his still blinded by light gaze.

That voice. He knew it was hers before his sight adapted and before he found himself absorbed by her grey and beautiful eyes. He stared, not capable of accepting what he was seeing.

She was dead. Vanished from all planes when Azrael killed her.

He still could remember her gasping attempts of taking breaths while life left her and how those marvelous eyes lost their brilliance while the puddle of blood got bigger and bigger.

He couldn’t ever forget that he had been too late.

“Lucifer?” She asked worriedly, frowning.

He still could remember the raw emotion that filled him when she died. The complete desolation soon followed by rage. He still could remember how Azrael left without explanation, and that the only thing that stopped him from pursuing his sister was Beatrice.

Protecting the child became his utmost concern, because that would be what her mother would have wanted him to focus on.

And he failed both.

“Are you ok?” She took his hand, pressing it.

Lucifer stared, feeling immersed in thickness, wool, like this whole situation wasn’t more than a sick joke. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something, _anything_ , “Ch-“ He choked, still finding himself incapable of saying her name. “Am I dead?” He asked with his confusion and insecurity clear on his voice, knowing that even if he had died he wouldn’t be with her. That was the punishment he had received for thinking that he could ever deserve some happiness.

“Geez, he seems weirder than normal.” Maze said with amusement. “Watch out Decker, next he is going to ask if we are in heaven!” She joked, getting an eye roll and a tiny smile from the blond woman as answer.

“Shut it.” Chloe said with amusement, looking at Maze and then at him with fondness. “Lucifer, what are you talking about? Of course you are not dead.” The certainty that she spoke with made his heart and mind rebel against each other. The calm manor she treated him only made his disbelief grow even more. His heart wanted to believe this, that they were _alive_. But his mind just knew that it couldn’t be possible.

He _saw_ them dead!

He hurriedly got up while ripping his hand free from hers, trying despairingly to get away from them. They couldn’t be real! Maybe he was back in hell, locked up in one of the cells and being tortured with the thing he regretted most, the one thing his hate didn’t bury deep enough: not saving those who he came to care about. Next would be Beatrice, Amenadiel, even Dan the Douche, wouldn’t be?

Maze and Chloe exchanged looks, feeling the change of the atmosphere to something they didn’t predict: Lucifer was _afraid_.

“Lucifer, calm down…” Chloe tried, raising her hands as to not seem like a threat and approaching him with caution.

“Stop right there.” He bared his teeth, feeling all sort of things seeing her like this, hearing her so close – still feeling the warmth of her hand on his. His head hurt from that damned explosion of light and now from this torture – she felt _real_ , for fuck’s sake!

Chloe stopped on her tracks, looking at him with pure worry.  Suddenly it felt like approaching a wounded animal.

“Lucifer...” Maze warned, approaching cautiously. “Calm the fuck down.” She ordered, receiving another eye roll from Chloe for the subtle way of treating the situation.

“Look, you know us, right? Its Chloe, your partner…” Chloe said, getting near him even with his menacing aura. He looked at her and at Maze with trepidation. This couldn’t be real, just _couldn’t_.

“No, you are not.” He breathed, retreating and colliding with the wall behind him.

He looked around, trying to understand where the cell made him be. It seemed like the place both women shared once. There was Beatrice’s room filled with toys and books, and the kitchen where he made them breakfast sometimes and even Maze’s room with the door open and all the sex toys at sight. They were at the living room, with the sofa he remembered sleeping a few times while pretending to be too drunk to go home, and all their furniture he got used to.

The perfection in details almost made him proud of the realm he ruled. Almost.

“I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but this, I must say, I’m impressed.” A new wave of coldness washed over him, and instantly Maze straightened, alert. “Once I was trapped because of my guilt, but now I won’t let it happen again. I’m just _done_.” He seethed, towering over Chloe.

The next thing he knew his head was thrown to the side by the strength of the punch Maze delivered.

“Maze!” The detective cried, surprised with the turn of events. She yelped when with a snarl of fury Lucifer jumped on Maze and both collided with the ground, “Lucifer! Both of you, just stop!”

They wrestled on the ground, punching and kicking, drawing blood and crunching noises. When Maze got the upper hand, she sat on him and locked his hands with her knees. She knew it wouldn’t last long, he would soon kill her if she didn’t stop him. For some reason his demeanor seemed more like the Lord of Hell that created and mastered her than the Lucifer she friended with on the last year.

“I don’t know what is happening inside this thick head of yours-“ She grunted with the impact of his knee with her back, but kept her hold strong, “but you have to _calm the fuck down_!” And then she was thrown against the wall, denting its surface with the impact and breaking a few picture frames on the way.

In an instant Lucifer was up, walking at her direction with hate and murder on his eyes. She smirked, almost feeling some glee from the situation. Some part of her _had_ missed her master.

“Lucifer!”

And then Chloe was between them, in front of him, holding him in place with her bare hands, feeling exasperated and worried.

“Please, stop!” She pleaded, looking at him, trying to understand what was happening. A couple of hours earlier he was his flamboyant persona, just like always; and now, he seemed a wounded animal defending himself… From them. “Please, just stop.” Lucifer stared at her, breathing heavily, feeling all his muscles and tendons firing from the fight, the adrenaline masking his new light injuries, ones he couldn’t understand how didn’t exist before. At the battlefield he still had many wounds, forgotten only by the prospect of ending it all – finally ending it all – when he saw the signs that his _Father_ was on Earth. How he felt this healthy again?

And then her closeness registered on his turbulent mind. The warmth from her hands touching him on the chest over his white shirt, the softness and care within the pressure she was doing – enough to make him stop, not to hurt. And her eyes, her ever changing eyes, sometimes grey, sometimes blue-ish, they didn’t accuse him of anything.

He could see her soul through them. Her pure soul, the purest he had ever met.

“Detective?” He asked, unsure, because it shouldn’t be possible, but it felt too real to deny any longer. “Are you really here?” And his hand, his traitorous hand, reached her cheek with tenderness. Lucifer stopped breathing for a few seconds when he felt her soft skin under his fingers.

“Yes, yes I am.” She replied, worried and awed by what she saw on his dark eyes. She had never seen him act like this, and it was breathtaking to see the intensity on those brown eyes. “Now I could really use one of those drinks you offer me every single time.” Chloe joked, relieving the tension and feeling finally more at ease now that she could see he was calming down.

A surprised laugh escaped his mouth, making Lucifer look at the blond woman with astonishment. And then he started to laugh, taking unstable steps back, sitting on the couch and putting his hands on his face. This was surreal. Had he dreamed the war all along?

Was he dreaming now?

“I thought you would never offer!” He answered with a grin, looking at her with eyes filled of unshed tears.   

 

 

 

Chloe was confused. Deeply confused.

They had entered the precinct three hours earlier only to be called to a crime scene. The pattern of the homicide seemed to fit another case they were already investigating, which was a true mystery on its own. So, it was logical that she, the detective responsible for this tread, was the one to look this new victim over.

Lucifer was doing his… _Luciferness_ and being an ass, but she couldn’t deny she was amused. When she met him, she found him disgusting and insufferable, but now she really couldn’t wish for a different partner.

She was sure it was more telling about her than him.

“Hello there,” He drawled slowly, his accent strong as always, “it seems you have been roasted, dearie.” He said with a frown, turning his head to the side while trying to understand the pile of carbonized human-being crumbled on the ground.

“Ella?” Chloe prompted after releasing a suffering sigh, not giving even a side glance to Lucifer for his rudeness.

“She was certainly roasted, yeah.” Ella agreed, looking sympathetically to the victim. “Woman, appearing to be on her twenties. Burned _a lot_ …” She looked at them with a grimace. “At least her dental arch survived!” She exclaimed, looking at Chloe and Lucifer with a content face.

“Cause of death?” Chloe asked, frowning.

“Well…” Ella drawled, looking down to the corpse. “It doesn’t seem like burned to death if you take in consideration the signs that she was dismembered before it happened.” She paused briefly, “Just, harsh! If you ask me.”

“There is a very good place to this kind of murderer in hell. We call it the ‘Lost my foot loop’ cell.” Lucifer remarked, looking at Chloe with a tiny smile and plain thirst for punishment on his eyes. “But truly the person loose more than a foot. And it is a lot worse than it sounds!”

“Dude, Hollywood is missing a gold chance without you!” Ella said, impressed. Chloe just ignored both, shaking her head and turning her intent eyes to the crime scene. They were on a secluded and abandoned suburban house, which was pretty much falling apart with holes all around the walls and floor. The wood was festering with termites devouring the house bit by bit. The furniture was fetid and full of dust.  

Looking up, Chloe could see there was not one mark of active fire, there was no stain of black smoke just as around the body it was clean of ashes and burns.

“This was not the real crime scene. They left her here for us to find.” She mused out loud, remembering the same method from a week before-

“Just like the other one.” Lucifer completed, almost like reading her mind. “We might have a serial killer on our hands, then. Well, there is an even more special cell to this kind, I assure you!”

“But the first was so roasted that we couldn’t extract much information from the body.” Ella commented matter-of-factly, looking at Lucifer with admiration, “Such a method actor, really.”

“This feels like-“ Chloe started, finally looking at Lucifer to create the brainstorm they usually did together.

Just in time to see him getting a confused and pained look on his face and falling to the ground unceremoniously.

Unconscious. Without explanation.

Right beside the victim.

And now, after bringing him to her house because she knew his opinion about hospitals (and using all her persuasion powers to convince the team to not call for an ambulance), explaining it all to Maze and seeing him so _different_ from everything she knew of Lucifer, she couldn’t be any more confused.

For starters, his once pristine suit – Prada, he had stressed after smoothing it out while getting off her car hours earlier – was all wrinkled over and he didn’t seem to care. That one was motive enough to be worried.

Second, he kept staring at her like a thirsty man seeing a bottle of water on a vending machine.

“Somehow you are being creepier than your normal, and that coming from me means _a lot_.” Maze sort of voiced her thoughts, noticing his stare too.

He took one more gulp from his whisky, which he had stocked secretly on her kitchen (out of Trixie’s reach, at least), and then looked briefly to Maze. Chloe could swear his eyes were shining a little too much. “You wound me, dear Maze. The Devil is no creep, mind you!” And he smiled, like nothing happened this morning, like it was just a normal day on their routine.

“You are right.” Chloe agreed, receiving a blinding grin from the man before adding “You might be the creepy one, not the Devil.” and then he pouted.

“Well, now that the crisis was averted, I’m going to pursue my newest job. This one has a huge bounty on his name, it seems promising!” Maze smirked, a grin so feral that Lucifer would pity the person if he wasn’t the one that defended so much giving punishment to the wicked. The demon started to go to the door, licking her mouth’s new wound after their fight, and kicked the door shut with a happy swing to her steps.

Some seconds were spent in silence, what ringed all the alerts inside Chloe’s head. He hasn’t done any comment with sexual innuendo yet, it was the new record!

“Lucifer,” She called, receiving a distracted ‘hm?’ as sign of being heard even if he was staring non-stop at her, “what happened with you?” and asked, trying to bring the topic into evidence to get some needed answers.

His grin faded a little bit, and he got an intense look of concentration. It lasted for whole astonishing five seconds. “It seems I don’t remember. Oh well, the past is in the past!” He said trivially, drinking a bit more and looking at her with a content face.

It didn’t fool Chloe. Not one bit.

“You know you can trust me.” She insisted, feeling like a broken record at this point. “I know I’m not the best out there to understand your problems… But I’m here for you.” She persisted, “What is going on?”

And then he started to laugh so softly that she had to look around herself and at him twice to believe that the sound came from his mouth. He smiled, fondly, and looked at her like she looked at Trixie when her daughter did something _so her_.

“It’s nothing, Detective. It seems I’ve neglected some basic needs of mine.” He said every word slowly, taking his sweet time and admiring the twitch of Chloe’s eyebrow. It wasn’t really a lie, considering he couldn’t even remember the last time he had sex. Or if he ate that morning. He found that his life prior to the moment he woke up like this was a distant memory, right now. “I feel like I could need some help to satisfy them. Would you like to volunteer yourself?” And he smirked seductively, seeing the frustration and aggravation build on her so clearly that he already knew the eyeroll was coming before it happened.

There! Magnificent.

“No, thank you.” She deadpanned, releasing a suffering sigh. “I have to get back at the precinct and talk to Ella about our new victim, she may have identified her.” Chloe got up, suddenly all business, “After your… _Situation_ , maybe it would be best if you spent the rest of the day at Lux.”

“No.” His answer took her by surprise. He sobered quickly, looking a bit pained while observing the golden liquid of his whisky, rocking in circles in the glass. “I’m fine. Let’s go.” He drank it all in one shot, fixing up his suit and his messed hair and looking determined before putting a mask of contentment on his face.

Chloe was confused. Deeply confused and suddenly very worried.

 

 

 

His head was hurting so much, and yet, he couldn’t leave her alone. The fear that if she left his sight he would return to those days of war was way too big to control.

Lucifer glanced at her furtively during the ride to the precinct. Sometimes he would stare at her reflection on the window glass, and sometimes he would give her a side glance - only to capture her beautiful combination of colors, from the blond hair to the red mouth. Chloe kept making small talk, trying to make him talk about the morning’s events, which he could only fathom himself what the hell had happened.

He absorbed with his whole being everything she gave, from the consternation with all his deflections to the subtle affection, showed by her worry with his well-being. He had missed her fiery temper, her determination to discover the truth and her altruism, always putting others before herself. He had missed _her._ Terribly.

And now he just couldn’t get enough of her.

Lucifer could have hugged or even tried his luck on kissing the Detective. She would proceed on hitting him if she was real, so it would be almost like scientific methodology with positive results. However, he didn’t want to know so soon.

He wanted more time.

If this was a dream, he wanted to be in this for more than just a few minutes. Most importantly, he wanted to see her at a happy time, when she and Beatrice and everyone they knew were still alive. Lucifer wanted to feel like he felt once, when he didn’t know the pain of losing her… Yet.

“You know, I’m really worried about you.” Chloe complained, “You are unusually quiet, you are staring way too much at me – do I have lettuce on my teeth? Or something like that?” She asked, looking at her reflection and checking if there was some problem with her face.

“As disgusting as that would be, I would clean it up for you.” Lucifer answered, raising his eyebrows suggestively. He had missed their _thing_ : riling her up with sex innuendos and she pretending to hate it.

 “Geez, no! Gross.” She made a disgusted face, only receiving a content smile from Lucifer.

He marveled at the whole situation. It felt… He didn’t know how to describe how it felt, but reenact this friendly banter with Chloe made him so happy that it should be considered indecent.

“Seriously, what is happening?” Ever the stubborn woman, she insisted.

Lucifer opened his mouth ready to bait her into an argument, starving for her fire, only to feel his head pulse with brute force like something was pushing him out. It was like his skull was splitting in two, and he couldn’t hold back the groan of pain. His hands reached for his head while he closed his eyes tightly.

“Lucifer?”

For a few seconds Lucifer saw the battlefield and his Father’s body pierced with the Flamming Sword all over again. His whole vision was filled with destruction, and his body reverted to all those wounds. He could hear the howls from his hellhounds and the clash of battles; smell the putrid odor of decaying corpses, the iron scent that became a permanent thing after so much death; taste blood on his mouth, which was filled with ash and sand. He could feel the weight of his armor… And how his whole body hurt _so much_!

He was back to a reality that he had destroyed by choice… By his hatred, despair and loneliness.

_…Lucifer?!_

And then he was back to the car, sweating even with the air conditioner on and trembling. Hurting. Feeling his head throbbing so much. Suddenly it was so difficult to breath. What the hell was that?

What was happening with him?

“Lucifer!” Chloe called for a third time, trying to stop somewhere safe without success. “Talk to me, dammit!”  

A pained laugh escaped his throat, “Already dammed, love.” and he joked, feeling disoriented.

“That’s it. I’m taking you to Lux right now.” Her heart was beating so fast. For a few moments she had felt like the situation had been solved, that it was just a little fluke that got Lucifer so vulnerable so suddenly. But now, the worry was growing to high levels.

Until this point, she had never seen Lucifer acting this way nor feeling this much pain – pain enough to turn him into a mess.

“No need, really. I’m sure hearing about the new victim will make it all better.” He said between breaths, trying to mask his own worries. What was real, now?

What reality was the real one? The war?

“Yeah, yeah… Not happening.” She said, firm but breathless, interrupting easily his thoughts that were already jungled from pain.

Chloe?

A sharp intake of breath was the only warning that the pain reached levels he had never experienced.

And then he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any thoughts? :3


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for evey kudo, every review, bookmark and subscription. You guys are amazing! <3 I loved how some already started teorizing hahahaha All the comments were really lovely, thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts. 
> 
> This chapter can get a bit confusing, but I hope you all like it. If you get any doubts, ask away and you shall receive an answer! XD
> 
> PS: English is not my first language, so If you see something wrong feel free to warn me about it.

 

It was the weirdest sensation. He felt like he was floating, like there was no gravity, and at the same time he felt like he was glued to the ground with his feet firmly touching the surface. He was surrounded by nothingness and the only light in the darkness came from his own body – which he couldn’t see at all.

Somehow, he felt like himself, the one that destroyed so much so he could face God, the one who survived so much only to punish _them all_. And yet, there was the feeling of another Lucifer, one more… naïve? And how the hell could that be possible?

“I don’t bloody know what is happening, but I must warn you that you messed with the wrong guy.” His own voice surrounded him in a snarl - only it seemed younger somehow. “I’m the Devil, you know? And I _so love_ to punish intruders.”

“Well, that seems familiar.” He murmured, grinning to nothing. Things kept getting crazier and crazier at every turn. He didn’t know what was real anymore.

There was silence for a few seconds, then “Well, hello there!” he heard the voice say, with the same intonation and the same accent of his own. “Another me, that’s just really unexpected.” The other hummed. “Maybe I really drank too much yesterday. Usually I don’t really feel the effects, but, who knows! Maybe I _did_ use some drugs without noticing… What a shame.” His younger voice pondered, sounding disappointed.

“That’s completely possible. We are not known by our responsible way of living.”

“True.” And then a younger version of him appeared, almost like summoned by this common knowledge. He was wearing the same clothes Lucifer himself woke up with, a dark blue Prada suit combining with a white shirt underneath. “I was trying to push you out from my head, but now I’m intrigued.” The other one smiled, like there wasn’t anything more interesting than talking to another you on what appeared to be your own mind. “I wondered who would be so brave to possess the Devil, and now I’m fascinated to think that only myself could really try it.” The youngest version tilted his head to one side, looking at Lucifer first unbelievingly then with wonder. Lucifer couldn’t see his own body, but apparently his younger version could.

After looking well at his younger reflection Lucifer was certain about only one thing. The one standing in front of him, surrounded by the nothingness of a limbo, was the Lucifer before everything had gone wrong.

The Lucifer before Chloe’s death.

Ignorance was really a bliss.

“Please, you know as well as me that possessing a living thing is impossible.” Lucifer said patronizingly while giving him an eyeroll, suddenly reminded of tv shows about demons possessing humans.

“That’s just weird. You are as handsome as me, but older. Is this another one of Dad’s lessons?” _The Kid_ , which was the name he chose to call the other Lucifer, walked around him and stared at every aspect of his appearance, ignoring completely what he said.  

“Hell no.” He sobered, maybe showing a bit much of hate when thinking that his Father would have anything with this whole craziness. It made his counterpart’s eyes shine with approval.

The Kid approached, looking at him with the utmost interest of a three-year-old looking at a new animal. “Fascinating.” He pondered, stopping in front of Lucifer again. “I keep telling only the truth even in such a deplorable age!”

“Hey!” Lucifer complained, passing his hand reflexively on his hair and noticing for the first time in years that it was longer, almost reaching his shoulders.

“No, no, don’t misunderstand me. I’m still handsome like I said before!” His younger self assured, and suddenly his own body was present too, materialized just as the other one’s had, “But you are all wounded and in need of a bath. Oh, and let’s not forget in real need of shaving too! Seriously, do I turn into a caveman in the future?” the kid complained, scowling a bit and straightening his suit. Lucifer passed his hand on his face, noticing too for the first time his overgrown beard… He had lost himself during those years of war, he contemplated. “Is that armor forged by hellfire?” The youngest made a double-take, looking at his body with clear fascination and changing the subject on light speed, the beard and his horrid situation forgotten.

Lucifer started to feel nauseated. He couldn’t wrap his head around what was happening. This situation was intriguing, sure, but it made him believe a bit more that the dream world was the one where the Detective was alive.

And it was like loosing her all over again.  

“Yes.” He answered only to see the admiration grow on the younger one eyes. “Look, I know I’m a sight for your eyes, but please control yourself.” He teased uncomfortably, while his younger self only raised one of his eyebrows. He didn’t have the headache anymore, but his body apparently had all his old wounds back, and the tiredness returned tenfold. “Let’s focus, ok? I don’t have any bloody idea of what is happening. I was on a battlefield just killing Dad, and then I was with the Detective and Maze after years of seeing them…” he paused briefly, not really in the mood to voice out their previous status, and continued “And now I’m here. Talking to myself after having one of the most painful headaches of my immortal life… Which might not had happened at all, since this might be only a crazy dream…” He mumbled the last sentence.   

“Wait, you said killing dad?” He should have known that this was the information that would stick above all else.

“Yes.” He agreed tiredly, looking around into the abysm. Raising his hands, he glanced at them, suddenly seeing them painted red with blood. “These hands were responsible for so much destruction…” He mumbled softly. And as if sensing his distress, something changed on the limbo that surrounded them. It was like his own consciousness took a part on the structure.

The horrible scene, the one that began it all and the one he couldn’t ever forget, started to play on the nothingness like a horror movie on a theater. Azrael’s blade drenched with Chloe’s blood, the angel of death standing above her with the coldness and indifference suitable for the Angel of Death. Those agonizing few moments of running to the Detective while Azrael disappeared in a flush of dark feathers, gathering the blonde woman to his arms and seeing life run out of her too fast, too _damn fast_ ; and then _“MOMMY! MOMMY!”_ Beatrice’s cries while she run right after him, kneeling by his side on Chloe’s blood puddle and calling for her mother even when the Detective wasn’t breathing anymore.

The last name on her mouth the one of her child.

Pictures of what Earth had become started to pop up around them, in front of the Detective’s death scene – frozen on her dead eyes. Pictures of corpses everywhere, cities burned to the ground… Hellhounds freely hunting wicked souls – even if they were still attached to their bodies and very much alive.

Then the nothingness returned. Lucifer could only fall to his own knees, still looking at his hands and fighting against the pain he always relived from his memories. He couldn’t run away from them. Every time he thought about his past, they haunted him brandishing his failure on neon lights.

“… What was that?” The Kid asked softly, the silence stretching between them and the tension getting so thick that Lucifer found it was hard to breath. “What-was-that?” The other punctuated every word, walking abruptly to Lucifer, taking him by the neck and lifting him up from the ground with ease, staring at him with despair and confusion on his eyes - “I don’t care if you are an older me, you better start talking _right fucking now_.” and breathed heavily, baring his teeth and straining his neck with the intensity of the emotions that that scene had created in him.

Lucifer stared at the Kid and could see himself at that day. Somehow, besides the cruelty of the situation (of not knowing what was real anymore, feeling hope and then despair, and now relieving this horrible memories), he could only marvel if in every dimension that he and Chloe met he ended up… Loving her this much. “Why do you think I ended up destroying Earth and killing dear old Dad?” He asked weakly, watching his younger self’s eyes widening.

“No…” His counterpart murmured, dropping him to his feet at once. “That’s not possible.” The Kid shook his head unbelievingly, starting to pace around. “That’s too cruel even for Dad’s standards!” Pure energy pulsed from him, the nothingness starting to fill with hot air.

Lucifer could only watch helplessly, because after all: he never lied.

And he knew that his younger self knew it too.

“Bloody hell!” The other screamed, throwing his hands up and stopping with his back to Lucifer. “How can everyone believe _me_ as Evil Incarnate when we have such specimens in our family?” He said, sarcasm deep on every word. “Seriously, the definition of ‘Hypocrisy’ has been updated!”

“Things only got worse after her death.” He said quietly, closing his eyes. “Daniel took care of Beatrice for some time, but she ended up under my care over my insistence. And I failed her too.”

“Don’t tell me that even the spawn was targeted?” The nothingness started to tremble, like an earthquake.

His silence was answer enough.

“Fuck!” And an explosion of fire occurred right beside them, resembling an active volcano with uncanny similarity.

“Look. I don’t know what is real anymore. My memories? Or this?“ Lucifer pointed to the youngster and to himself. “I’ve spent a few years on a war against Heaven, expecting that maybe Father would feel compelled to come down to Earth for a little visit – which he did, by the way - and it felt real enough. But now, apart from being back to a time that the Detective is perfectly alive _and_ feels real too, I am talking to a younger version of me inside… This younger version of me mind. If any human could be in my shoes right now, they would create one hell of a sy-fy movie!”

“Oh, believe me, this is _very_ real.” The Kid said with trepidation, practically ignoring his little speech. Explosions and tremors continued to occur non-stop around them. “I was perfectly fine visiting a crime scene with the Detective when, suddenly, something invaded my mind and pushed me back, taking the control out of my hands and playing with my body like a _parasite_.” He enunciated with disgust the last word, drawling it on his British accent and looking at Lucifer accusingly. “Which I didn’t appreciate very much, mind you!”

“This is insane.” Lucifer breathed, passing his hands on his hair and mussing it even more. His turn of ignoring the other’s complains. “How can I be from the future?”

“And you ask me?” The Kid raised both his eyebrows, pacing from side to side. “But I do know that my world is real, so, if what you are saying is real too, we _must_ stop Azrael and Dad and the whole fucking family from killing Chloe.”

Lucifer froze.

_“My only wish was to have another chance with them. To stop this madness, to stop you, before you killed them.”_

“I really could use a drink right now…” The youngest mumbled, oblivious to Lucifer’s pale face.

He had wished for another chance.

What if this was it?

He couldn’t understand how that could be possible, but if he could really have another chance he wouldn’t let it go for anything on Earth.

“You are right.” He breathed, smiling slowly with disbelief. “We must prevent it from happening.” Lucifer laughed briefly, looking with wonder to his younger self. “If this is really a second chance… Then _we_ _will_ stop them.” He swore, approaching the youngster Lucifer.

“Well, even if this mission is really important, I have some conditions.” The Kid sniffed, giving Lucifer a side glance. “We will not cohabit the same body with two consciences, and we will share the control of the situation.” The Kid stated, slowly beginning to grin. And Lucifer grinned too, suddenly finding the whole situation extremely amusing. He had never heard of a thing like what the Kid was hinting at, but he would try nonetheless.

“Agreed. I suppose we could make a deal, then?” He proposed, raising his hand.

“A deal it is!” His younger version laughed satisfied, taking his hand on his own and sealing it.

And then they smoothly became two beams of light, that fused on one single and bright star that illuminated the whole nothingness.

 

 

 

With a sense of déjà vu, Lucifer could hear someone talking while he awakened. The voice was the first thing he noticed, coming next whose it belonged to: Chloe. She appeared to be talking in low tones on the kitchen, so he couldn’t understand a thing she was saying.

Then he noticed that his head didn’t hurt anymore nor did his body, which he appreciated very much. He opened his dark eyes slowly, noticing a very familiar ceiling, and part of him already felt nostalgic.

He knew this place.

 _Home_.

The penthouse above Lux.

Slowly, he sat up on the bed - _his bed_ \- and put his legs on the side of it. He got up, feeling only a bit unstable, and grouped the walls of his bedroom to sustain himself. Staying there for a bit, he took his time to admire his home – even if now fresh memories of waking up here in the morning filled his mind – and reconnect part of him to this place. Until now, he hadn’t noticed how much he had missed it. Or how much he would, if it was destroyed.

Walking on bare feet, since apparently his dear Detective took off his shoes for him (and his suit jacket too now that he was paying attention, naughty _naughty_ girl!), he descended to the main room and went to the kitchen.

Stealth mode on - just for the kicks.

“… I will look her up. Now that we have identified the victim maybe we can make progress on the other occurrence too.” Chloe said quietly on her phone while pouring hot water on a cup. The scent of mint reached his nostrils, bringing a smile to his lips. “Thanks, Ella. That was really fast, I appreciate it.” And then she ended the call, mixing the tea while deep in her own thoughts.

“Hello, Detective!” He greeted loudly, seeing her jump and squeak with his sudden appearance, a bit of the liquid jumping around with her.

“Lucifer!” She chastised, looking disapprovingly to him. “Don’t do that! I could have burned myself.” Chloe looked at the tea cup, sighing when she saw that now it was half full. “Ugh, God, you are impossible!” She complained.

“Well, he is, agreed on that.” He joked a bit, approaching her with silent steps.  He took the cup from her, took a sip and hummed happily. “Don’t fret, my dear, the tea is still delicious even if there is almost nothing of it anymore.”

“Whose fault is that?” She deadpanned, yet looked at him with aggravating fondness. “You seem better.”

“I _feel_ better.” He walked around her, going for the cupboard with the bottles that didn’t fit with his stock on the main room. “Now, to make this tea even more therapeutic…” And reached for the bottle of whisky, grinning openly to Chloe.

“That wasn’t what I had in mind when I made it for you.” She drawled, eyerolling when he poured a shot on the cup. “I shouldn’t let you drink it, but I know you, as soon as I leave you will drink it anyway.”

“You can join me anytime.” He offered his cup, and Chloe didn’t deign it worth of a verbal answer.  

“I called Amenadiel.” She said instead, and he was caught between spitting his drink with surprise or actually being happy with the prospect.

“Now, why would you do that?” He asked, looking at her a bit appalled… And with some gratitude too. Hell, after the deal that he made with himself things got way more confusing.

“Because today you passed out _twice_ without explanation.” She stated, not offering further explanation and daring him with a pointed look to rebel against her decision: the _Mama-Decker-Stare_! (She used it a lot on the spawn when the child was being especially stubborn about something. _And_ a little bit on him too. Well!)

“If I must!” He released a suffering sigh dramatizing as much as possible. She gave him another eyeroll, already used to his theatrics, and started to go to the main room. He followed, not taking his eyes from her for a single moment.

“And you keep staring at me.” She called back over her shoulder. “I can feel it. Stop that.”

“What can I say? You are a sight for my sore eyes!” He added with a seducing grin. She snorted. And he kept admiring her anyway.

“You were better at this.” Chloe sat on the couch while getting her note and a pen, and started to scribble the information she already had on the new case. “Ella called, she got the identification of the victim. Her name was Elena Watson, twenty-six years old, reported missing two days ago on the other side of the city.” She got her phone, soon showing him a picture of the victim.

“Well… She is-“

“Beautiful.” Chloe interrupted, like it was obvious. While Lucifer-

“- just like you.” Ended slowly, looking at the photo with confusion written all over his face. The blonde hair, those blue eyes and the red mouth… The perfect design of her face… He could see the differences between them, but the similarities were astounding. Something didn’t feel right about this, but he didn’t know what. There were ringing of all sort of bells on his mind.

“Well. Ok. I was not expecting that.” Chloe commented surprised, looking at the picture herself.

“You are prettier, of course, but she reminds me of you.” Lucifer assured, drinking the rest of his ‘tea’ and getting more whisky from his stand.

“Hm, thank you. I guess.” She drawled, looking at Lucifer with her own confusion. “Are you ok?” She asked, lowing her phone and standing up.

“I already told you that I’m fine, Detective. Why wouldn’t I be?” Lucifer answered, raising one eyebrow while pouring more alcohol on a different and more fitting cup.  

“Well, you actually complimented me without proposing something indecent. _And_ you passed out twice.” She looked pointedly to him. He paused, staring softly at her. He had wasted so much time keeping his distance, trying to _protect_ her from God’s manipulations (only to not protect her at all), and now he could make it all different. At least, from this moment forward.

“I _can_ act like a normal person by your standards.” He said with soft amusement, receiving only a raised eyebrow as answer. The silence stretched for a few moments while he stared at her intensely, the air between them getting thicker with the sudden change of atmosphere. And then “Once, Detective, I told you that you deserve someone worthy of you, someone better, because you are selfless to - how did I say it? Oh right, to a nauseating degree… Because you are _special._ ” He started softly, approaching her with gentleness on every detail of his body language.

“And then you vanished for weeks. Not one word. And returned married.” She said plainly, a knee-jerk reaction. The tremor on her voice and her rigid stance betraying the emotions that still came to the surface with this topic.

“Yes, I ended up proving to you another thing that I said: that I was not this someone, that I was not worthy of you.” Lucifer continued, not really lying when he really did it – even if it was to try to protect her from the lack of free will. He was standing so close that he could feel her warmth, smell her scent. If he raised his hand, he could touch her face easily. Both immersed on their own world of yearning. “But maybe someday I can be.” And he smiled softly, admiring her blue eyes with everything that he felt during those years of war, with the part of him that yearned for her and for the time they had lost.

While another part of him was just embarrassed for being this exposed, seriously.

Chloe’s heart was a beating mess and her eyes insisted on locking themselves to those hypnotizing brown eyes in front of her. She didn’t want to hear this kind of thing. She didn’t want to hope, only to get disappointed again. She didn’t want to feel this way anymore! His voice, his presence, the way he looked at her and the way he was speaking… It was like that Lucifer from before her almost death, the one she had kissed and embraced and expected to finally build a relationship.

The sound of the elevator reaching the penthouse intruded on their moment, giving the out she desperately needed. Chloe breathed heavily before taking a few steps back, creating some distance between them. Those emotions she saw on his eyes trapped her, lured her into a possibility she didn’t want to believe anymore. She needed to get out of there and be away from him for a bit.

“Luci!” Amenadiel’s voice rang through all his penthouse, the worry palpable even saying so little. “And Chloe!” He added with mixture of surprise and warmth, like he had expected to see her already gone when he arrived. Lucifer was between beating his brother up or trying… to kill him.

Such a difficult decision!

“Hey Amenadiel.” Chloe called back, nervously hiding her hands inside her pants back-pockets. “I was a little worried to let Lucifer alone but now that you are here, I can go.”

“Detective-“ Lucifer called, not wanting to let her out of his sight yet. He reached for her, but she was already at the open elevator.

“Today you rest, Lucifer. Tomorrow you can come with me, we will get to know better our second victim. I have to go now.” She said with fatality, interrupting and not giving him any chances of doing something different. And in a few seconds, she was gone.

He kept staring at the metallic closed doors, ignoring Amenadiel for a few seconds. In the back of his mind he could hear his brother’s voice, but he couldn’t understand any of it when his focus was on the blond detective that left his home just now.

And he swore to himself, just like he did earlier on the nothingness: this time he was going to make things right.

 _No matter what._    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amenadiel is such a spoilsport! hahahahaha
> 
> I'm already writing the next chapter. Any questions? (I promise this time I will answer everyone)


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took longer than I had expected! But I hope I won't take long to the next one <3
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks and comments, you guys are amazing. Hope you like this one!

 

 

“Luci? Are you listening?” Amenadiel’s voice intruded on his thoughts, making Lucifer blink a few times before looking at his brother. There was a mixture of irritation and happiness inside him when his brown eyes fell on the other angel. The memories of Amenadiel siding with him on the war even with his mortal status made him feel gratitude. However, being interrupted by the idiot on such an important moment made him angry.

Just a normal day on his life, really.

“Actually, I wasn’t, but now I have no other option, do I?” He complained, the sarcasm his standard response, drinking another shot and walking around Amenadiel to go to his balcony. It was late afternoon already. Apparently, he had missed half a day being unconscious.

Well, laziness was just another sin on his list, nothing special.

“Luci!” Amenadiel chastised. “I was worried when Chloe called. She said you lost consciousness _twice_?”  

“It may have happened twice, yes.” He deflected, swirling the golden liquid mindlessly, reminiscing some bitter memories on his mind eye. He couldn’t avoid it. It seemed that every time he encountered someone that died on those years everything returned with a vengeance, like he was reminding himself what he had done and why he swore to avoid it all from happening a second time.

Maybe reliving those memories would help him to never forget that Chloe’s death had been only the beginning.

“That is not normal, brother. Even if you were near Chloe, you shouldn’t pass out without a reasonable explanation.” Amenadiel followed him, standing by his side on the balcony, looking at him while Lucifer had unfocused eyes staring ahead. The other angel noticed how his brother’s eyes were distracted and how Lucifer’s eyebrows were pinched in thought, like what he was thinking pained him. A wave of guilt overcame him, remembering their discussion the night before. “Look, there is another thing that I wanted to talk about.” He said softly, looking ahead like Lucifer was doing and sighing heavily. After everything he had gone through, he still found difficult to let go of his pride. “I know yesterday I was a bit out of line… and I am sorry for the things I said.”

Lucifer pondered about that, suddenly knowing what the _family drama_ Maze mentioned was about. The other angel still couldn’t agree with the way he had dealt with their mother; even if it had been already a month since she was sent to another dimension, Amenadiel seemed broken-hearted with the prospect of never seeing her again when he had finally accepted her over their Father. He had showed that by saying a few things that were used for eons to vilify Lucifer, while adding that Azrael’s blade shouldn’t have gone with their mother - it had been a decision way too important for Lucifer to make by himself.

Nothing really serious, after all. At least now with other things on his mind, all that was banal.  

“No problem, brother. I didn’t hold a grudge.” Lucifer commented absently, drinking a bit more. Amenadiel did a double-take, staring at his brother disbelievingly for a few seconds.

“Are you ok?” The other angel asked, receiving a snort as answer. Chloe had already asked him that so many times on a single day (but she had some special permission, he admitted), he wasn’t sure he could take Amenadiel asking the same thing another hundred times.

“Seriously? I am fine!” He answered in aggravation, opening his arms for Amenadiel to look for himself how he was _perfectly fine dammit_.

“You are being way too nice, its creepy.” His brother added, shrugging his shoulders in apology. “Until now you have been really decent with me even after all the hurtful things I said yesterday.”

“Bloody hell-“ Lucifer cursed, looking at the sky as reflex, noticing it and then starting to look ahead instead. “First, if you know they are hurtful things to say, why not stop saying them, hm?” He asked, receiving a blank look as answer. “Second, maybe I can cause some discomfort with my marvelous sincere attitude – which really, you couldn’t ask for a nicer Devil than me - but I am a real gentleman nonetheless.” He took another swing on his drink. “Third, my two… _occurrences_ today were not related to Chloe. And I am fine, healthy as ever.”

And then the silence instilled, stretching, not uncomfortable but contemplative. Amenadiel looked at Lucifer with a thoughtful look, taking time to think about what his brother had just said. Most of it he fully agreed, and he knew he had to change if he didn’t want to hurt his brother again. Besides, Lucifer appeared more mature and centered. Amenadiel looked at him with wonder, marveling how he was different, _so different_ from the night before that it should be impossible; and yet, still similar when deflecting from the important stuff and keeping tight closed lips about it, not saying what had really happened even if Amenadiel could see on his eyes that something _had_ happened.

However, for now, he would not push. He would give his little brother the choice of telling him or not.

And Lucifer finally focused on his brother, seeing flashes of his demise blurred with his presence in front of him. The memories of Amenadiel’s death playing on his mind on repeat, causing a bit of anxiousness. It was hard to deal with all these emotions that kept bombarding him all the time, but he was starting to get the gist of it.

“I am sorry, Luci. I will take in consideration everything you said.” The other angel acknowledged, smiling fondly. “I will stay for a bit if you don’t mind…?” He turned the affirmation on a question, unsure, not wanting to go yet even with Lucifer saying he was fine, but giving him the freedom to decide if Amenadiel was welcomed.

Lucifer looked at him with a mixture of aggravation and gratitude “Not at all.” and agreed with a suffering sigh, drinking in one go what was left of his drink. “Today, brother of mine, I will show you what a true _marvelous_ wine tastes like!”  

 

 

 

 

It was already night. Amenadiel was _very much drunk_ and had passed out on Lucifer’s bed, for his chagrin. Lux was running wild as always, and after being there for a few hours Lucifer decided to go back to his penthouse. At some point, he had felt an _urge_ to play, to connect himself with music and only music, that he couldn’t take Lux’s atmosphere anymore (even if he loved it). For the rest of the night, he needed the peace he always felt while playing. He needed to connect with himself, organize his next steps.

Putting out his cigarette on the astray he put above his beloved instrument, he sat on the piano bench and slowly, so softly he touched the keys, the pressure not enough to make any sound. He caressed them for a few moments, feeling the familiar texture and feeling a bit nostalgic too. After the war had begun he had never played again; and yet, he remembered playing it the night before (and being interrupted by Amenadiel, the idiot).

Softly he started the melody, his fingers dancing smoothly over the keys while creating an intense rhythm that was not so fast nor so slow. Almost instantly his mind emptied from any thoughts of the last hours or any bad memories from the war and filled with the sweet song the notes were creating effortlessly. The melody felt personal, every note appeared to express exactly what he felt on the present and what he had felt while on the future. The Lucifer from the present was getting used to all this information the Lucifer from the future brought with him, and the memories crushed the former just like had crushed the later when they had happened. At the same time, the… _naivety_ (he still didn’t know if he could characterize it like this) of the Kid was taking hold too of a territory inside the oldest, making Lucifer believe that he would succeed.

Inevitably, like it was the natural flow of things, his mind turned to Chloe. However, this time, it turned to better topics: her beauty, her temper, her whole persona that had fascinated him from the very beginning and that had through all their moments together made him realize so many things about himself. The Lucifer he wanted to become, and not the Lucifer others expected him to be.

After everything that happened on that terrible future, both parts of him decided on a different approach regarding Chloe this time around.

His Father wouldn’t achieve his goal of controlling the detective ( _She was a surprising little thing, wasn’t she?_ he could hear his own words so clearly), and now having heard from God himself that he couldn’t control her, Lucifer believed on her free will unquestionably.

Besides, now he understood that being away had only made it possible for Chloe to be an easy target to his family. Lose-lose situation, all around.

And he would not make the same mistake again.

He kept playing, feeling at peace. Reaching for that place deep within himself that resided the strength he had gained on his years of war. The same place that his instincts and knowledge of battle had been sharpened to a deadly degree. That dangerous part that he had accepted wholeheartedly and that now he would use without thinking twice. The warrior was still inside him, and differently from the first time, now he had no boundaries to use everything by his reach. He no longer cared if he should do different from what his Father was expecting or not.

He was going to use everything he got, heaven’s given or not.

He smirked, his eyes burning into the dark night.

 

 

 

 

Chole woke up on the next morning still thinking about everything that had happened the day before.

After leaving Lucifer’s penthouse, she reported back to the precinct to update them on her partner’s condition, and it was agreed that he should rest for the day. Then she did some of the accumulated paperwork, which Lucifer never helped with, and talked briefly with Ella.

When she got home, Trixie was already there doing her homework and being watched by the sitter. Seeing her daughter acting so normal made all the events of the day feel like a super anomaly that should be investigated. However, every time her mind reached the last part when Lucifer’s eyes bored into hers and everything he said rocket her heart like an earthquake, she shielded herself and stopped overthinking things.

But unavoidably her mind kept going to him. Her thoughts wandered on deep waters of worry and insecurity while tiding everything up, paying the sitter and talking with Trixie about the day. Even when she tried to focus on her daughter’s happy babbling or on the story she had read when putting her child to bed, she just couldn’t. The vision of those intense eyes, the hypnotizing scent of his cologne still vivid on her nostrils… All the whirling emotions his very presence caused on her kept popping back uncontrollably, the sheer intensity between them making her heart beat strongly inside her chest.

It was with great effort that she finally fell asleep.

And now, finally awake, she could hear the birds chirping and some noises coming from the kitchen.

Only it was too soon for Trixie to be awake already, and Maze was out for a few days just like she had told them the day before. So really, there was only one other person who could break into her house and make a mess of her kitchen.

She already knew who it was without even needing to get out of her room to look.

“Detective! Good morning, my dear.” Lucifer’s cheery voice sounded pleasantly just as she put herself out of her room only in her pajamas. Her mussed hair and sleepy oh-god-you-are-insufferable face should have been enough to stop him on his tracks, but it only fueled the Devil further. “I made you breakfast!” And he presented her the most delicious looking omelet with pieces of cheese and ram and slices of bacon, putting her plate on the kitchen counter and putting beside it a cup with - _did he just make orange juice_? “Oh and don’t worry, I didn’t put any alcohol on it. I figured you would prefer the juice without the extra deliciousness.” He added, seeing her eyes locked on the cup.

Yes, he did.

“Lucifer.” She stared unbelievably, finally absorbing his appearance.  

Over his teal three-piece suit with a button-down black shirt underneath, he was using her flowery apron and oven gloves.

“And I’m baking a chocolate cake, which should be ready soon.” And then he was crouching and looking through the glass of her oven to observe if the cake had already grown.

“What…” She mumbled incoherently. He looked at her and stood up again, giving her a boyish smirk.

“Please, Detective, take a sit and enjoy this marvelous creation of mine. After that you may yell at me all you want!” He wriggled his eyebrows and pointed one of his gloved hands to the plate on the counter. She sighed, doing what he first suggested and sending him a ‘really?’ look to the second part.

“Stop invading my house, though.” She stressed without much heat, receiving an uninterested ‘hm’ as answer.

And then Trixie’s door opened, and a little blurred child-form made a beeline to Lucifer while shouting “Lucifer!” earnestly.

Chloe expected the usual awkwardness: little taps over the child’s head, a search for any object that he could throw to then ask Trixie to fetch and the panicked looks begging for help to save him from her daughter intense demonstration of affection; however, what she got made the blonde woman stop her fork midair to stare.

Lucifer did freeze for a few moments, like he was surprised by this turn of events and was struggling with how he should react. But then he took off the gloves and just _reached for Trixie and gathered her on his arms_ _right_ _there where he stood_.

What?    

“Hello there, spawn.” He greeted her while staring at the little girl on his lap. Even Trixie was a little bit surprised, but her beautiful child just smiled and clearly decided to make the most of it.

“Why are you here so early?” Trixie asked, looking at the clock on the wall and confirming the early hour.

“What can I say, I’m just a thoughtful person that decided to make a decent meal for the Decker women. Everyone knows they should try proper food sometimes.” He drawled, releasing a suffering sigh and shaking his head to both sides, like he was dismayed by their inaptitude to eat delicious food without him. Trixie just laughed softly, staring at him with adoration.

Chloe could not take her eyes off the scene.  

“What do you want?” The child asked knowingly.

“Beatrice, now you are just being rude!” He answered with a fake offended look, and the little girl exploded in giggles. “Now, sit down and I will prepare your marvelous meal, little human.” He put her on the ground, punctuating every word with his British accent and then turning his back to them, going to the stove to prepare the second omelet of the day.

Chloe was so absorbed by all this interaction that for the few seconds that his face betrayed what he was really feeling, she saw it perfectly. It was disconcerting how a frown descended on his perfect face, like something was paining him extremely, and then as soon as it appeared it was buried under his flamboyant mask.

“Good morning, mommy!” Trixie interrupted her thoughts, bouncing on the stool next to her.

“Hello monkey, did you sleep well?” She asked, drinking a bit of the orange juice and avoiding any open demonstration of satisfaction. Lucifer already had a big ego, he sure didn’t need to add anymore to it.

“Oh I had the strangest dream ever, but besides that, yes!”

“Do you remember what it was about?” She asked curiously.

“Well…” Trixie drawled, getting a focused look on her little face, “I was here watching my cartoons, and then this beautiful angel appeared out of nowhere and started to talk to me. You should have seen it mommy, his wings were so beautiful! They were gold and they sparkled so much! And then he was embracing me with his wings and asking me to pay attention, like I wasn’t already-“ she eyerolled, “and when he started to talk again I didn’t understand a thing.” she shrugged her little shoulders, making a sorry-not-sorry face. “And then I woke up with you two talking.”

Chloe laughed, caressing Trixie’s hair. “At least it wasn’t a bad one, hm?”

“Here, Beatrice.” Lucifer interrupted them with a strained smile, handing the child a plate with an omelet just like Chloe’s. “Let’s see if the chocolate cake is finally ready, hm?” And gave himself an out to look through the oven again. Trixie just opened the biggest smile her mother had seen for a few weeks.

Quietly, Chloe looked at Lucifer, searching for every little sign that he may be giving away without knowing. His stance was more rigid than a few moments before, his movements more mechanical and his mind was clearly distracted and so not with them.

Her worry from the day before returned. There was something he was not telling her.

Again.  

 

 

 

 

Meeting Beatrice again had been harder than he had expected it to be.

When the child embraced him, just like she always did, he froze on the spot with the conflicted emotions that took over him: the awkwardness from being hugged by a little human (his standard response, that didn’t change much even after those years of war) and the _raw joy_ of having this experience once more with the spawn. And then, maybe the part of him that usually wouldn’t demonstrate so much affection took pity on the part of him that passed through so much loss, because on the next moment his body just acted on his own and gathered the spawn on his arms. Talking with her like this made him reminisce all those days that he took care of her, tried to protect her just like he knew Chloe would have wanted to, those days that he had adopted a little human and acted like a step father of sorts (not very traditional, he had to admit). Who would have thought, that Lucifer Morningstar, the Devil, would become willingly a father figure to a human?

And unavoidably he remembered how he failed her so tremendously, and that was one death he couldn’t bear to remember. He had to distract himself immediately.

So, his next step was to let her go, because he had to control all this emotions that resurfaced on a rampage and preparing her breakfast had been the perfect opportunity to focus on something different from his memories.

However, it failed so terribly once she started to tell about her dream, that it should have been comic if it wasn’t so tragic. Had he missed important information the first-time things happened, information that could have changed everything? Did she have this same dream the first time around? Because he knew a warning when he heard about one, and he pretty much knew whom the angel was, too. Not very known, because he wasn’t recognized by the Catholic Church, but one of the archangels nevertheless: Salatiel, the one who was always praying for the salvation of humanity.

He saw the way the detective was dissecting him after giving the child her food. He sensed her scrutiny, the heat over his nape typical of someone watching you intently. He was trying to conceal himself better, but at the moment he felt it difficult to achieve. After all, the possibility that the first time around Beatrice was being given warnings and he didn’t get to know… because he had been too much self-absorbed with his family drama, was making him feel nauseated.

He was so concentrated on his own thoughts that he didn’t sense Chloe approaching him until her hand touched his right shoulder (Or maybe he trusted these two humans so much that he seemed to let his guard down around them easily).

“Lucifer?” Chloe called quietly. “Is everything alright?” She asked, the worry evident on her furrowed expression. She was so perceptive, his detective, it was astounding. But he didn’t want to see her worried all the time, _dammit_!

“Detective! It is nothing you should worry yourself about, I assure you.” He answered. “Let’s put some chocolate cover on this masterpiece, what do you think?” And then asked with a smirk, playing his ego-card to lighten the mood.

He saw clearly the decision of letting this pass for now being taken by Chloe, he hadn’t expected it to be any different. Lucifer was sure that her instincts were screaming on her head about something wrong, and if she knew how _wrong_ things had become he didn’t think she would react very well.

He was most certainly sure she would freak out. A lot.

“You are spoiling her, you know.” She deadpanned, glaring at him and at the chocolate cake, but helping him with the cover nonetheless.

“The Devil do not _spoil_ anyone.” He sniffed, ignoring completely the little voice on his mind telling him he was on denial.

“I’m ready for the dessert!” Trixie added from the counter, interrupting their banter and looking at them with expectant innocent eyes that could deceive those who didn’t know her. Such a mischievous little mind, really.

“Your little human is such a demanding thing.” He sighed, and Chloe held back the laugher. She couldn’t deny to herself that all of this was just too adorable.

They finished the cake and gave Trixie a piece, and Chloe took one to herself. Lucifer just observed quietly the two Decker girls, just enjoying the moment of seeing them happy. Both parts of him seemed content on being there like this.

Then, when Chloe retreated to her room to get ready for the day, Lucifer took his chance to have a word with Beatrice.  The girl was on sugar high and very acceptive of talking to him after all the ‘feeding good stuff’ to her.  

“Beatrice!” He called softly as soon as the child left her room already dressed and cleaned for school. “Can I ask something of you?”

She looked at him with one raised eyebrow, evaluating his request to make a request, and- “Well, I may let you if you give me twenty bucks.” she smiled, crossing her arms with resolution. Lucifer choked a surprised chuckle.

“Such an amazing pupil!” He approved, reaching for his wallet, “But next time remember all the food I prepared for you as payment in advance.” and added while handing her the notes.

“Why I would do that? You denied you wanted something when I asked, so the food was freely given.” She said happily, reaching for the money with a self-satisfied look.

“Sometimes I wonder how Daniel fathered you, really. You are too smart.” Lucifer pointed out, receiving another raised eyebrow as answer. “Ok, ok. So, if you have any more dreams like the one you had today, can you tell me about it? And do try to remember more details and what is being said.”

“The easiest twenty bucks ever.” She commented.

“Such a little minx.” He released a suffering sign.

When Chloe reappeared, she gave both a suspicious look. Their attempt to look like nothing happened was enough for her to know that something _had_ happened.

 

 

 

 

“Elena Watson, twenty-six years, worked as a teacher on a Primary School and was single, not dating anyone for a couple of years.” Chloe started after leaving Trixie on her school. She didn’t know how Lucifer got to her house earlier, once she didn’t see his corvette outside, but she didn’t mind commuting them on her car. “Lived alone on an apartment near her workplace, and her missing status was notified by the principal from her work. Apparently, she was a very responsible and counted on woman, so when she missed a day and didn’t warn anyone about it, they searched her and noticed she was missing.”

“Almost a saint.” Lucifer murmured a bit bored, alternating looks through the buildings of Los Angeles and the blonde woman beside him. “Initially, no possible enraged boyfriend or ex, not a single motive to be hated – how can someone hate a primary teacher, anyway? That’s just impossible, they all go to heaven somehow-” Chloe sighed with the Devil references. “And so nauseating correct that one missing day of work was enough reason to notify the police about her disappearance. What kind of life is _that_? Where is the fun?” He asked scandalized.

“Anyway, maybe through her we can discover who the first victim was. Let’s hope they were connected somehow, because if they weren’t this is going to get so much worse.” Chloe ignored his tirade, stopping in front of the school the victim worked at. “While we are here, Dan’s is at the Elena’s place to take a look and see if he finds anything.” She said, parking the car. “And please, behave yourself.” She asked, looking at Lucifer with aggravation.

“Of course, Detective. I am always on my best behavior.” He smirked.

“Right.” She agreed sarcastically.

They got out of the car and entered the school, going straight to the principal’s office. While passing through the corridors, Lucifer felt like having a _deja vu_. The place with all its colors and drawings, the sounds of little kids inside each classroom and the Detective beside him babbling about the little information Ella debriefed her the day before – all gave him the sensation of having already seen it all, a feeling that got so strong that the Devil just _knew_ that the principal wouldn’t help them much.

He didn’t remember everything from these days of normalcy so clearly, once the first time around he didn’t put much thought about this case until it turned impossible to ignore. After all, at some point things got too messy and Azrael made her fatal appearance – only thinking about it already made goosebumps rise on his arms and made the calm fury dormant within him open its eyes lazily.

Reigning his temper, Lucifer knocked softly but firmly and opened the principal’s door, offering the entrance for Chloe and then following her in.

“Hello Mrs Potter, I’m Detective Decker and this is my partner, Lucifer Morningstar.” Chloe presented herself to the old lady at the other side of the desk, who smiled with comprehension and adjusted her tiny glasses over her nose.

“Hello, Detective. I imagine this is about poor Elena, right?” Her smile turned sad, and she stayed in silence while motioning them to sit.

“I am sorry for what happened, Mrs Potter. Can you answer some of our questions?” Chloe asked delicately.

“Of course! Anything. That poor child didn’t deserve what happened to her.” And they could already see she was genuine on her feelings.  

“Ok, so, first: how Elena was, as a person and as a teacher?”

“She was nice. She treated everyone respectfully, with care. The children loved her, and they developed beautifully with her classes. She wasn’t perfect, of course, but no one hated her here or anything.” The old woman stressed. “Elena was dedicated to her work…And not so much to her personal life, for the last couple of years. She wanted to focus on her career. She was going after more specializations, she aimed to become a university teacher.”

“Ambitious.” Lucifer complimented. “So, no ex-lover or actual lover that would want her dead? Really?”

“No, absolutely not.” The old lady answered vehemently. “I assume she saw me like a grandmother of sorts, because she sought me for advice on any topic of her life. Sometimes she would whine about not having a love life, but soon after her determination was renewed, and she returned to her studies and plans. It was… refreshing.” Mrs Potter smiled fondly.

“Did she complain about anything strange lately?” Chloe insisted.

The old woman thought for a bit. “No, I’m sorry detective, everything was going fine.” She said, sounding apologetic. “Her death got everyone by surprise, because it occurred so suddenly… There was nothing different that could have warned anyone about it.”  

“A saint, just as I said.” Lucifer commented.

Chloe stayed on silence for a bit, and then she stood up. “Thanks for your help, Mrs Potter. If we have anything more, we will contact you.” She added with gratitude, and the old lady nodded with understanding.

Lucifer observed the old woman while Chloe left the room. The knowledge that they never understood the motivation behind this murder even in the future came on his mind. After all the girl was a good person - truly a good person, and her death had been so random that it had been difficult to pinpoint a reason behind it. However, even if they hadn’t found out who the killer was the first time around, this time things were going to be different. So, he felt sure to say- “We will get the responsible.” to the woman, flashing one of his smiles. Before her reaction to his charm, he left, going after the retreating figure of the detective.

“I believed her.” Was the first thing Chloe said as soon as he reached her.

“So did I.” He agreed.

“We have to find the place she was abducted from.” She continued, while both got out of the school and walked to her car. “If we can find it, maybe we will have a chance to understand what happened. I will call Dan to see if he found anything on her apartment.”

Lucifer hummed in accordance while they got in the car, thinking hard about what he knew of this victim. The first time around, they had this same dilemma and Daniel didn’t find anything relevant. After a couple of days, they had discovered the place of her abduction, ( _which was slowly starting to appear on his mind eye, if only he concentrated a little bit more_ … _Oh!_ ) but, as soon as they found it out, a new victim had appeared, and the fear started to grow: the time-gap between the second and third murder had become smaller than the one between the first and the second. The killer had become more daring, more dangerous.

As if finally understanding how things were going to work now, Lucifer acknowledged that they didn’t have much time before the next murders happened.

Before Chloe would be in immediate danger.

“Probably, she must have left her home at night to buy groceries and then the murderer made his move.” He commented, trying to sound nonchalant about it, but already knowing it to be true. Slowly his memories were becoming clearer, like a thousand pieces puzzle with every little piece being put on its place one at a time.

He side-glanced at Chloe, seeing her concentrated and thinking about what he said while waiting for Daniel to pick up his phone. She hadn’t started the car yet. He admired her with seriousness, not really listening when she finally started to talk with the Douche.

Until now, he had been getting used to this situation. This… time travel thing. He still couldn’t understand how it was possible, but the death of his father and the explosion of light from the Flaming Sword made Lucifer suspect the possibilities. Until now, he was enjoying being on the presence of everyone that had died and was beginning his attempt to get near Chloe again.

To finally go forward.

Until now, he hadn’t really absorbed what was happening and what he needed to do.

However, now he knew. He had already connected with the warrior within him, and now he was connecting with memories long forgotten – those that he didn’t used to nourish when remembering the detective. And now he would use his future knowledge to its fullest, not really caring if anyone noticed the strangeness of him knowing every little thing that happened before it happened.

“He didn’t find anything relevant.” She signed, frustrated. “Let’s search for grocery stores on her neighborhood, if anyone saw anything or recorded anything. Maybe you are right.” Chloe agreed, starting the car.

“Oh, detective, I _certainly_ am.” He commented flatly, his eyes flashing into flames for one second while he was staring through the window glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagined Lucifer playing this on the piano scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwmVjvR-sVs (Dusk Till Dawn - ZAYN ft. Sia (Piano Cover) by Costantino Carrara)
> 
> Any thoughts?


End file.
